The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/Archivist_Goals on 2024-05-29 20:22:44.
I wanted to create a separate post that further elaborates on what was mentioned in this post's comments from others. And, I will tag the original post's author u/KeptinGL6:
Just to clarify for everyone, MPF is the overall GUI.
There are 3 main utilities from different people that are used in the Media Preservation Frontend program:
- Redumper
- AARU
- Disc Image Creator (DIC)
~~DIC is actively being phased out. Redumper is pretty much the gold standard right now. AARU is also very well developed. DIC's original developer sort-of abandoned it and it's regarded as a legacy dumper utility and will be phased out at some point.~~
Edit: Some clarification. The original developer behind DIC didn't abandon it. Redumper is being chosen over DIC where applicable and/or possible.
These programs' inception originate to the Redump.org, Video Game Preservation Collective, Gaming Alexandria and Hit Save! organizations and communities where, through Discord, a ton of collaboration has taken hold for proactive media preservation, the world over. It's a very sizable, but niche community of dedicated people very much akin to the VHS Decode and Domesday Laser Disc duplicator projects.
Links
https://www.preservegames.org/
https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/
Discords
https://discord.com/invite/AHTfxQV
https://discord.com/invite/dQhd6d7
https://discord.com/invite/TCKT6uA
The Video Game History Foundation is also an invaluable resource
These utilities are not solely aimed at preserving video/PC games. They can be used to preserve all forms of media. EAC, Exact Audio Copy, is a bit dated because it can not grab, for example, compact disc subcode
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_subcode
Redumper can be found here:
https://github.com/superg/redumper
BOS (Binary Object Scanner) is an integral part of MPF for detection of copy protection mechanisms and can be found here: https://github.com/SabreTools/BinaryObjectScanner
While EAC is a decent utility, it lacks the ability to grab all possible information written to a an optical disc. Redumper/AARU have the ability to grab even more.